Reinforced container rim



- April 16, 1968 H. J. WITZGALL REINFORCED CONTAINER RIM Filed July 30, 1965 INVENTOR: Herber c J. Wdaqal 1. BY 0%. 0 W

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,378,164 REINFORCED CONTAINER RIM Herbert J. Witzgall, Jelfersonville, Pa., assignor to The Budd Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed July 30, 1965, Ser. No. 476,008 2 Claims. (Cl. 22073) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A reinforced rim for a container includes a metallic integral reinforcing ring having upper and lower annu lar tubular portions. The tubular portions are of substantially the same diameter and are disposed one above the other.

This invention relates to a reinforced container rim, and method of forming it, and has for an object the provision of improvements in this art.

Containers, such as roving cans, are subject to very rough usage and are expected to have a very long service life. They are commonly made of vulcanized fiber and for a long time have been made with a simple curled rim rolled by common roll-spinning devices on the outer side of the open upper edge of the container. A full bottom is provided at the lower end of the container and presents no problems concerning the present invention, hence consideration will be confied to the open upper end and reinforcing rim of the container.

It has been found that a simple integral rolled rim does not provide sufficient strength and flexure resistance as is required for the open upper end of the containers and there have been a number of proposals for reinforcing the rim by annular inserts of various forms.

The present invention has for an object the provision of an improved reinforced rim and a simple and economical method of producing it.

One of the particular objects of the present invention is to produce a reinforced container rim at low cost.

Another object is to produce a reinforced rim by simple and easy manufacturing methods.

Another object is to produce a very strong reinforced rim which has a very small overhang, that is, a very small outside diameter as compared to the inside diameter at the upper end of the container.

The above and other objects of the invention, as well as various features of novelty and advantages, will be apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial axial section of the top edge of a container having a reinforced rim embodying the invention;

1G. 2 is a partial axial section showing the rim in the process of formation.

As shown in the drawings, a container 10, such as a roving can with a bottom closure (not shown) and an open upper edge 11, has an outwardly, downwardly, inwardly, and upwardly curled integral rim 12 of the same vulcanized fiber as the sides.

Within the rim 12 of the container there is a reinforcement ring 13. The ring is formed of a metal, preferably steel or another strong metal. The ring has three integrally connected portions: an upper and lower anular tubular portions 15 and 16 and an annular fiat band 14. The tubular portions 15, 16 are preferably the same diameter, positioned one above the other, and preferably in contact with each other. The flat annular band 14 at its edges is tangent to both tubular portions and connects them to form a rigid ring. It: can be seen in the cross section of the rim, as illustrated in FIG. 1, that the rim is actually a single strip of metal that is formed to provide the aforementioned shape. The edges of the strip are curved inward towards a medial portion of the annular flat band 14 forming the tubular portions 15, 16.

The novel combination of the flat band 14 and the tubular portions 15, 16 is inexpensive to manufacture. It is easily formed in one step in the conventional metal working equipment by passing a flat strip of metal through a curling fixture causing the edges of the strip to curl towards each other until the edges almost contact a medial portion of the strip.

The ring formed according to the teachings of this invention has many advantages. The ring is exceptionally strong and compact considering the amount of metal used to form the ring. The same amount of metal formed into a flat band would have less than one-half the compressive strength of the novel ring. Likewise, if the strip of metal were formed into a single tube its bulk would be considerably greater and it would be more diflicult to incorporate into the rim. The novel ring is stronger than the structure formed by two separate tubes of the same diameter because the fiat band adds to the structural integrity of the combination. In addition, the novel ring is easily handled in roving can fabricating equipment. Unlike fiat bands and modified flat bands having locking lips, the novel ring has no exposed edges which can puncture or cut the vulcanized fiber either in fabrication or in use.

In the prior art, roving can rims were formed by rolling three to four plies of vulcanized fiber. The novel rings of this invention formed from. 102() gauge cold rolled steel are five to ten times stronger than the rolled vulcanized fiber rim and cost less. A further advantage is that shorter vulcanized fiber shells can be used to make the containers because additional fiber is not required to be curled up inside the rim to reinforce the rim. Another novel feature of this combination is that the ring can be readily enclosed with vulcanized fiber. This is a substantial advantage in that roving cans are generally used in textile mills which are operated at a reltaively high humidity. Accordingly, the exposed metal portions have a tendency to rust and contaminate the yarn being processed.

The ring is incorporated into the rim, as illustrated, by forcing the upper edge of the container 10 by axial pressure into a roll spinning die 20, either the container or the die, or both, being rotated; placing the reinforcing ring in the curl created by the spinning action; and, in the final stages, turning the fibrous material inward and reversely upward by a plurality of rollers 21 having an appropriate arcuate periphery. If vulcanized fiber is used it is preferably moistured, to assist the rollspinning action.

The flat band 14 in the preferred embodiment is disposed on the inner side of the container 10 and the tubular portions 15, 16 on the outer side so that When the top is pushed inward from opposite sides the rolled portions tend to move toward each other by compression and interengage and thus give added resistance to crushing loads.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described for purposes of illustration, it is to be understood that there may be various embodiments and modifications within the general scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A reinforced rim for a container comprising an integral reinforcing ring having an annular fiat medial band and tubular portions at each edge of said band, said tubular portions being disposed in the interengagr 3 ing relationship, and an upper portion of the sidewall of said container turned around said reinforcing ring to completely enclose it.

2. A reinforced container rim as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by the fact that said reinforcing ring has its flat band disposed interiorly and the tubular portions disposed exteriorly.

4 References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 422,191 11/1925 Germany.

5 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

G. T. HALL, Assistant Examiner. 

